Ugandan sex workers are working without condoms because of Trump administration policy

Uganda made a bold commitment to end AIDS by 2030, the first pledge of its kind for any country in Africa — or the world. But now that goal may be out of reach, because of cuts in funding from its biggest donor of health aid: the United States.

Like Republican presidents before him, President Trump reinstated the global gag rule early in his presidency. The policy, formally called the Mexico City policy, requires that foreign NGOs agree not to perform or actively promote abortion in order to receive support from the U.S.. Trump’s version takes the policy a step further saying that any foreign NGO that refuses to comply with the rule risks losing funding for essentially all global health programs.

The move has experts seriously concerned about how these cuts will impact programs aimed at reducing HIV and AIDS in some of the hardest hit communities around the world. And Uganda has the tenth highest prevalence of HIV in the world, with 151 new infections each day.

VICE News goes to Kampala, Uganda to speak with sex workers who are struggling to find condoms.

This segment originally aired January 11, 2018 on VICE News Tonight on HBO.